Category Archives: Chicken

August 1, 2010 · 10:03 pm

Polenta-Crusted Baked Chicken

This was supposed to be breaded chicken, but when I went to the pantry I didn’t have any bread crumbs…so I spotted some polenta on the shelf and decided to try something new.

Ingredients:
1/8 cup mayo
1/8 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 T salt, divided
1/2 tspn. cayenne pepper, divided
1/4 tspn. black pepper, divided
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
3/4 cup instant polenta
1/2 cup flour
Cooking oil spray (like Pam)

Instructions:
Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking oil.

In a large bowl mix the mayo and yogurt with half of the salt, cayenne and black pepper.

In a large resealable bag, mix the polenta, flour, and the remaining salt, cayenne and black pepper.

One piece at a time, thoroughly coat the chicken with the mayo mixture, transfer to the bag of polenta and shake to coat. Then place on the baking sheet. Continue with the remainder of the chicken.

Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for about 30 minutes until cooked through.

Carefully turn the chicken after the 30 minutes and cook five minutes more to brown the undersides.

We had this with Creole Potato Salad and watermelon.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked it. Our oldest liked it dipped in ketchup and our youngest was having a meltdown in general, but on any other night he would have liked it just fine.

from foodandwine.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken

July 27, 2010 · 10:24 pm

Summer Chicken Burgers

These were some super messy chicken burgers…napkins were a must. 🙂

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed
1 T butter
1/2 Vidalia onion, sliced into rings
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat
Salt and pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns
4 T mayo
4 slices provolone

Instructions:
Lightly oil grill and preheat on high.

Heat butter in a skillet on medium-high heat. Saute the onion until they are soft and caramelized.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until thoroughly cooked. Place buns on grill just long enough to toast them.

Spread buns with a little mayo, then layer with chicken, onion, provolone and mashed avocado.

We had this with corn on the cob and grapes.

Did I change anything? The only think I did differently from the original recipe is smash the avocados to try and make the sandwich easier to eat.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it. I don’t grill chicken very often, so it was a nice change of pace. The kids had their sandwiches without the onion and avocado.

from allrecipes.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Everybody Ate It, Sandwich

July 25, 2010 · 11:10 pm

Easy Italian Style Chicken

I can’t figure out my mom’s recipe for Italian Chicken, so this one will have to do until I give her a call…

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine parmesan cheese and bread crumbs in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Dip chicken in eggs and then dredge through cheese/bread crumb mixture making sure chicken is thoroughly coated.

Place chicken on a greased baking sheet. (Make sure baking sheet has sides.)

Drizzle each piece of chicken with salad dressing and then top each piece of chicken with a pat of butter.

Bake for 45 minutes.

We had this with a baguette and a salad.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. It got two thumbs up from our oldest and our youngest ate it with zero complaining.

from Southernfood.about.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Six Ingredients or Less

July 19, 2010 · 11:14 pm

Spanish-Styles Noodles with Chicken and Sausage

I liked this, but if I make it again, I will make some changes. This is how I made it:

Ingredients:
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb. Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 in. chunks
Pepper to taste
1 tspn. dried oregano or marjoram
1/3 c. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 bay leaves
2 cans diced tomatoes
12 oz. spaghetti, broken into 3-in pieces
Grated parmesan

Instructions:
Season the chicken with pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and Italian sausage and cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. When cooked, remove the chicken and sausage from Dutch oven with a slotted spoon.

Add the oregano/marjoram, onions, garlic, bay leaves and tomatoes to the Dutch oven. Reduce the heat and cook for about six minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the onion mixture. Add water to Dutch oven to just cover the spaghetti and cook for about six minutes. Add the sausage and chicken back in to the pan and simmer for about ten minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Garnish with parmesan after being served into individual bowls.

Did I change anything? I didn’t change a lot, but if I make it again I will change a few things. I would leave out the chicken and add more Italian sausage. I would change the diced tomatoes to Italian-style diced tomatoes.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it. Our youngest REALLY liked it.


from Food Network

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Stew/Soup

July 16, 2010 · 11:36 pm

Coucous Salad with Black Beans, Chicken and Corn

This is one of those recipes that is good the first day and even better the next….

2 T olive oil
1 cup Israeli coucous or just regular coucous
Salt and pepper to taste
4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 can corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 T lime juice
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced

1. Cook couscous according to package directions. You can also use orzo if you don’t have couscous.

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add scallions and corn to the skillet, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine couscous, black beans, lime juice, jalapeno, chicken, and scallion mixture and toss to combine. Divide among for bowls and top with avocado.

Did I change anything? This recipe originally called for 1/2 lb. mushrooms to be sauteed and added to the scallions. My hubby does not so mushrooms especially not 1/2 lb. of them, so I added chicken instead. I also added 1/2 of a chopped red bell pepper.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it, but me. It didn’t seem to have a lot of taste, but I figured out how to fix it. We had some leftovers that I decided to eat for lunch the next day. I added some Trader Joe’s Tuscan salad dressing to the leftovers and it was DELICIOUS!!! I think Greek dressing would taste good with this too. Maybe add a little feta…yum!

from Everyday Food

1 Comment

Filed under Chicken, Everybody Ate It, Salad

July 7, 2010 · 10:21 pm

Grilled BBQ Sandwich with Spicy Avocado Spread

When I told my husband we were having BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner he asked me what the twist was…he knows me too well. You will enjoy the avocado “twist” that goes along with this.

Sandwich
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (we used more for dipping)
Cooking spray
4 slices of cheddar cheese
Lettuce and tomato slices for garnish
4 Whole wheat hamburger buns

Instructions:
Spray grill rack with cooking spray.

Preheat the grill.

Brush both sides of chicken with BBQ sauce. Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Place one cheese slice on each chicken breast during the last minute of cooking.

Assemble sandwiches on buns with chicken, lettuce, tomato and spicy avocado spread. You might want to add a little more BBQ sauce to the chicken or even dip the sandwich in the BBQ sauce as you eat it. We did.

Spicy Avocado Spread
Ingredients:
1 ripe peeled avocado, coarsely mashed
1 T jalapeno pepper
1 T minced red onion
1 1/2 T lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T minced fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

What did the family think? Everyone REALLY liked this. It was so good and it made me miss all of that Kansas City BBQ I am used to eating. The avocado spread made this sandwich extra special. Yummo! P.S. The kids didn’t eat the avocado spread, but they did eat the chicken sandwich with BBQ sauce. Our youngest even decided he REALLY likes BBQ sauce and used it for dipping his sandwich into. Who knew????

from Cooking Light

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Mexican, Sandwich

July 5, 2010 · 11:27 pm

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

If you have never had green sauce with your enchiladas this would be a good place to start. Yum!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz. bottle salsa verde
2 cups shredded chicken breast
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup chicken broth
8 corn tortillas
Cooking spray
2/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar)
1/2 tspn. chili powder

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl.

Combine chicken and cream cheese in another mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the salsa mixture to the chicken and stir. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

Bring broth to a simmer in a small/medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to the pan for about five seconds, just until moist. (If you leave it in much longer it will turn to mush. Trust me.) Take out and spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla, roll it up and place it seam side down in an 11×17 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure until you have run out of chicken mixture.

Pour most (but NOT all) of the remaining salsa mixture over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and chili powder. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

We had these with black beans.

What did the family think? Hubby and I LOVED these. The kids ate the chicken out of the enchiladas. They were a bit too spicy for them.

from Cooking Light

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Mexican, Spicy

July 2, 2010 · 11:24 pm

Chicken, Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper Wrap

These are super easy and super yummy and a great way to use leftover chicken.

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat tortilla
2 T hummus
1/2 c. shredded chicken
Roasted red peppers
Creamy caesar dressing
Lettuce

Instructions:
Spread hummus on tortilla. Top hummus with chicken, a few roasted red pepper strips, a little caesar dressing and garnish with lettuce.

So easy and great on a hot summer day.

from Cooking Light

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

June 30, 2010 · 11:11 pm

Chicken with Peanut Curry Sauce

This was a hit at our house…I think it helped that the chicken came on a skewer.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. canned unsweetened coconut milk, stirred well
1 T soy cauce
1 1/2 tspn. curry powder
3/4 tspn. ground coriander
2 tspn. corn starch
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1 tspn. fresh lime juice
1/4 tspn. red pepper flakes
1 tspn. fresh cilantro, minced
1 package skewers

Instructions:
Whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, curry powder and coriander in a small bowl until mixed well. Transfer 1/2 cup of the mixture to another bowl and add cornstarch to the new bowl. Stir well.

Cut the chicken into 1/2 in. thick strips. Add them to the cornstarch mixture, stirring to coat. Marinate covered and refrigerated for at least one hour. Cover the other bowl of sauce and place in the frig as well.

Making the dipping sauce…Stir together the peanut butter, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and reserved coconut mixture in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Thread the chicken on the skewers and cook on a grill for about six minutes on each side.

Serve with dipping sauce sprinkled with cilantro.

Did I change anything? I served this with pasta. Instead of using the dipping sauce for dipping, we used the dipping sauce as a pasta sauce.

What did the family think? Everyone ate it!!! Hubby and I really liked it. Next time I will add more red pepper flakes and more cilantro. Our oldest ate the chicken and the pasta and the youngest just ate the chicken. The novelty of being served chicken on a stick is SO intriguing. 🙂

recipe adapted from Cookie Magazine

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken

June 29, 2010 · 11:30 pm

Chicken and Lentil Balsamic Salad

My new favorite salad!

Ingredients:
1 cup dry lentils
3 T balsamic vinegar, divided
2 chicken breasts
1 small garlic clove
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
Fresh baby spinach
Feta

Instructions:
Combine 4 cups of water with 1 cup dried lentils. Boil for 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Do NOT add salt to the water. Drain lentils when done cooking.

Combine cooked lentils with 2 T balsamic vinegar. Stir and chill in frig for at least an hour.

Boil chicken breasts until cooked through. When they are done, shred with a fork so it resembles pulled pork. Place in frig so it begins to cool.

To make vinaigrette: 1 T balsamic vinegar, garlic clove, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Assemble salads: place spinach in the bottom of each salad bowl, add lentils, tomatoes, chicken, tomatoes, onions, chickpeas and feta. (I had A LOT of lentils left over.) Add dressing to each salad.

Did I change anything? I ended up making twice as much dressing. It was quick and easy so it wasn’t a big deal.

What did the family think? Everyone ate it! The boys’ salads did not have lentils, tomatoes or red onions and I let them eat it with a different salad dressing, but they ate it an no one complained. They have discovered the yumminess of feta, so that helped. 🙂

from Cookie Magazine

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Salad